Paste dispenser



9 2, 1958 w. H. HASSLER ETAL 2,862,496

PASTE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 9. 1954 UK M PASTE. DISPENSER Weddie Howard Hassler, I

W. Barton, Evansville, Ind; said Barton assignor to MeadJohnson & Company, a corporation of,,lridiana- Application December 9, 19'54,' SerialNo 7 174,146

8 Claims; (Cl. 128 261) b V This invention is concerned Withfa new and improved.

dispenser adapted to'delive'r a single doseof a desired medicament and is particularly. adapted remhea nca.

tion of medicament to the interior of a body cavity.

Themedicament dispenser or applicator whichis the subject of this invention has a tip portion which is insertable into abody opening and a collapsible. body, portion containing preferably only a single dose of a medicament in a'readily flowable paste or jelly-like base material.

The tip portion of the dispenser is inserted into a body,

opening and the body portion of the dispenser collapsed,

as by manual pressure, expelling-the medicament bearing, material contained therein into the body cavity, where. the medicament may be systemically absorbed throughthe cavity walls.

One feature oftheinvention is the provision of a col-.-

lapsible medicamentcontaining body with a discharge opening andfhaving relatively rigid opposed sides-,move mentof theh sides. together eifeetingexpression of the discharge opening; 7 Anothermedicament through the feature is that a pair of rigid plates are disposed: in

o'pposed relationship one on either side of the collapsi ble body. A further feature is'that means, as a raised portion, arer provided on the rigid sides of thebody formaintaining'manual engagement therewith-. Yet another feature is that the 'rigid plate means .associated with the body portion serve. to limit the depthof insertion of the tip portion into the body opening.

Still a further feature isthe provision of a medicament applicator comprising a collapsible medicament containing body portion, a tip portion connected to the body portion and insertable into a body opening and; manually engageable means adjacent one of the portions for effecting insertion of thetip portion into a'body. opening without exerting a collapsing'force on the body. p or-. And another feature is that a rigid, plate is'pro tion.

vided on a side of the body portion, the plate having manually engageable edges spaced beyond the sides'of the body portion for efiecting'insertion of the tip portion in a body opening without exerting a collapsing force on the body portion. 1

Still another feature is that'the rigid'plate means'associated with the collapsible body portion are so shaped that no paste is trapped in the body portion upon the.

collapse thereof. A further feature is that the plates are integral with the top and bottom walls ofthe body portion and extend outwardly beyond the edges of the top and bottom of the collapsible body portion, and are so shaped or undercut that the side walls are not engaged. by the plates upon collapse of the body, preventing en-' trapment of paste in the body portion. 7

Another feature is the provision of a collapsible pastecojntaining body havingtop, bottom and side walls, the.

side Walls being adapted to fold alonga desired line upon collapse of the body. A further feature is'thatv the side walls are each provided with a single, longitudi-' nallyextending, medial crease along which they rem;

on collapse of the body.

Memphis, Tenn., and Raymond Stat -. Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a rigid.

. verselyoff-the body-portion ll and beyond the-edges v As best seen in Figures; 1 and 7,,t'he. central portionsof-either. side of theaplates; 15 and;1'6 are cutaway, to provide; a generally concave areawlslj'andflfib whichrnay -begrasped by the thumb; andrforefinger (Figure 1:) to facilitate-.insertion ofjhe';

Still another feature is the provision of a medicament applicator comprising a medicament-containing body portion, a tip portion having a discharge opening therein and adapted for insertion intoa body opening and a removable cover on the tip portion, from the discharge opening whereby a portion of the medicament in the applicator may escape through the,

opening and lubricate the tip.

Further features and advantages will readily be apparent from the following specification and from the draw- It is often desirableto administer a medicament to a patient by other than the conventional oral means. In one such method a medicament is mixed with a readily flowable paste. or jelly-like. carrier and then introducedv into a-body opening, such as the rectum. The medicament .is dissolved from the carrier by fluids present in the. body cavity and then systemically absorbed through.

the Walls 'of the body cavity. Thismethod is particularly useful. in. the; treatment of infants or small childrenwhere. the patients stomach. is upset and it is im-- possible to administer a medicament orally; In sucha situation, aspirin, phenobarbital or other desired medi cinesmay-easily and effectively be administered rectally.

[Referring now to thedrawings, themedicamentndisp-enser'or applicator indicated generally. as. 10 includes a a collapsible body portion 11 and. anelongated tip portion.12., The applicator is preferably molded as a singleunit'of a: flexible plastic material'such as a heatseal ingpolyethylene. The tipportionlzis adapted for ill-- sertion into a body opening and is provided, at its distal end with a-discharge opening.1-3..

The end 11a of the body portion is left open during: manufacture of the applicator to permit fillingv thereofwiththe desired medicament]compositions, the interior of. the, tip portion 12 also being filled, of course. The

e'nd'v 11a is then heat sealed as indicated at 14.

Thebody portion. 11 includes top and. bottom walls 11b and..11c respectivelyjoined. by side walls11d. Relatively rigid. plates 15 and 16 areintegrally formed. as a partofthe top and bottom wallsllb and 11c respectively. Manual pressure may. be exerted on plates 15 and 16by the thumb and forefinger as indicated in Figure 3 to dispense thev contents of the applicator. The rigid platesfacilitate. the collapse of the body and insurethat a predetermined amount of the medicament is expelled, as for example. three cc; ofa total quantity of three and onehalf Co. in the body and tip.

The forward edges 15a. and 16a of plates 15 and 16 are-positioned, at the. base of tip portion 12 'where thetipjoi ns the. body portion 11 of the dispensing device.

It 'should be-Inoted'that plates 15.and 16 extend transthereof a substantial distance.

tip 'p'ortion fl into a bodybpening without exerting on Patented Dec. 2, 1958.,

the cover being spaced.

end view looking from the right of end view looking at. the tipportion V 3 the body portion 11 a pressure which might tend to collapse it and discharge medicament therefrom prematurely. The rigidity of plates and 16 prevents the application of compressive stress on the side walls 11d of the applicator during the insertion operation. 7

The outwardly extending forward edges 15a and 15a of the plates provide means for limiting the depth of insertion of tip portion 12 into the body opening in which it is inserted. The length of the tip portion 12 is of course designed for the particular use to which the applicator will be put. For example, a rectal applicator for general use may have a tip portion 1% inches in length, while the tip portion of an applicator for infants could be slightly shorter if desired. Particularly in thecase of a rectal applicator it is necessary that the tip portion be made sufficiently long so that the medicament will. be deposited to the interior of the sphincter muscles in an area where the medicament will readily be absorbed through the wall tissue. By forming the forward edges 15a and 16a of the rigid plates to serve as a stop means, the tip portion 12 is automatically inserted to the proper depth.

As pointed out above, a predetermined amount of the medicament bearing jelly within the applicator is expelled through discharge opening 13 upon collapse of the body portion 11 by the exertion of manual pressure on the plates 15 and 16, Figure 3. Raised ridge portions 150 and 160 are provided on the forward portions of plates 15 and 16 and prevent the thumb and finger from sliding off the plates in the event they should be somewhat slippery. Transverse ribs 15c and 16c on the concave rear surfaces of ridge portions 150 and 160 enhance this action.

' It should be noted that the juncture between the tip portion 12 and the body portion 11 of the dispenser is generally smooth and there is no rigid shoulder as often found in tubular dispensers. Such shoulders make it difiicult to expel from the body portion of such a container all of the contents thereof. In the present structure there is no shoulder and the rigid plates 15 and 16 extend all the Way to the juncture of the body portion 11 and the tip portion 12 insuring that collapse of the body portion will be easy and will discharge substantially all the contents thereof.

The side walls 11d of the body portion 11 are forced outwardly on collapse of the body portion as may be seen by comparing Figures 4 and 5. A single medial crease line 17 is provided in each of the side walls 11:1 to facilitate collapse of the body portion 11 and to reduce the possibility of one of the side walls rupturing during collapse. Rigid plates 15 and 16 extend outwardly beyond the edges of the top 11b and bottom 110 of the body portion of the dispenser and are formed or undercut as indicated at 15d'and 16d (Figures 5 and 6) so that the side walls 11d are not engaged by the rigid plates before the body portion is fully collapsed in order that medicament will notbe trapped along the crease in the sides.

The elongated tip portion 12 of the dispenser is formed With somewhat thicker walls than the body portion 11 to facilitate insertion of the tip into a body opening Without bending or collapse thereof and to reduce the quantity of medicament remaining in the applicator after usage. The tip is also tapered uniformly along its length so that the distal end is approximately of an inch smaller in diameter than the base which is joined to the body portion 11.

A cap 18 is provided for, the tip portion 12 and comprises an elongated tubular member having a cylindrical bore 19 of generally uniform cross section and a closed end 20. The open end 19a of the cover 18 frictionally engages the base portion of the tip 12 immediately adjacent the juncture with collapsible body-11. T he'length of the cover 18 is such that closed end 20 thereof is spaced slightly from the distal end of tip portion 12, leaving discharge opening 13 unsealed. "This permits a small amount of the medicament within the tip portionxto seep out into the space 21 between the bore 19 of the cover and the tip 12, lubricating the tip so that it may be inserted more easily into a body opening.

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

, We claim: V

1. A medicament dispenser of the character described, comprising a collapsible, medicament-containing rearwardly tapered body portion, a tip portion for insertion into a body opening connected to the forward edge of said body portion and having a discharge opening therein, a pair of rigid plates in opposed relationship one on either side of said body portion for engagement by the thumb and a finger, movement of said plates toward each other causing collapse of said body portion and effecting expression of the medicament contained therein through said tip portion and said discharge opening, and araised finger engaging surfaces at the forward portion of each of said plates for preventing the fingers from slipping from said plates.

2. A medicament applicator of the character described, comprising a medicament-containing body portion, 'an elongated tip portion for insertion into a body opening and having a base joined to said body portion, and relatively rigid plate means associated with said body portion for efiecting the expression of a predetermined quantity of medicament therefrom and extending transversely outwardly a substantial distance from the body portion adjacent the base of said tip portion, serving to limit the depth of insertion of said tip into a body opening.

3. A medicament applicator of the character described, comprising a. collapsible, medicament-containing body portion, an elongated tip portion for insertion into a body opening, having a discharge opening therein and having a basejoined to said body generally flat, rigid plates in opposed relationship on either side of said body portion, movement of said plates toward each other effecting expression of the medicament portion, and a pair of in said body portion, said plates each having a forward edge portion extending transversely outwardly adjacent the base of said tip portion serving to limit the depth of insertion of said tip into a body opening.

4. A medicament applicator of the character described, comprising a collapsible, medicament-containing body portion, a tip portion connected to said body portion and insertable into a body opening and relatively rigid generally fiat plate means extending transversely beyond the sides of said body portion and having manually engageable edge portions for eifecting insertion of said tip portion into a body opening without exerting a collapsing force on said body portion.

5. A medicament applicator of the character described, comprising a collapsible, medicament-containing body portion, a tip portion connected to said body portion and insertable into a body opening, and a pair of rigid plates in opposed relationship one on either side of said body portion, said plates having manually engageable edges of concave configuration spaced beyond the sides of said body portion for effecting insertion of said tip portion into a body opening without exerting a collapsing force on said body portion, movement of said plates together elfecting expression of the medicament in said body portion. a

' 6. A paste dispenser of the character described, comprising a collapsible body having a discharge opening, said body including a top, a bottom and side walls, said side Walls being forced outwardly upon collapse of said body, and relatively rigid plate means integral with the top and bottom-of said body for facilitating the collapse thereof, said plate means extending outwardly beyond the edges of said top and bottom and being undercut whereby said side walls are not engaged by said plates before complete collapse of said body, preventing entrapment of paste in said body.

7. A medicament dispenser of the character described in claim 1, wherein said finger engaging portions have transverse ribs thereon.

8. A paste dispenser of the character described, comprising a collapsible body having a discharge opening, said body including a top, a bottom and side portions, and relatively rigid plates integrally formed with said top and bottom portions and extending outwardly beyond the central portion of said side portions, for facilitating the collapse of said body, said side portions being joined with said top and bottom portions along straight lines of flexure and each side portion being provided with a single medial crease line along which the side portions fold on collapse of the body, the transverse edges of said plates being substantially coterminus with said crease line on complete collapse of the body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Milligan Feb. 14, Walker Mar. 14, Merle July 13, Mohun Jan. 3, Colvin Aug. 11, Werner Oct. 19, Taylor Apr. 28, Robbins June 29, Deskey Sept. 27,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 

